Fun-Time Reading: Beverly Cleary!

Fun-time Reading: Beverly Cleary

Henry Huggins, Ms. Cleary's first book, was published in 1950, but it's still as much fun now as it was then. Read 'em all! Check out her website for more info on Ms. Cleary's fascinating life, a neighborhood map, and a scoop on all the characters! http://www.beverlycleary.com/beverlycleary/index.html

Have you read all of these?

__ Henry Huggins (1950)

__ Henry & Beezus (1952)

__ Henry and Ribsy (1954)

__ Henry and the Paper Route (1957)

__ Henry and the Clubhouse (1962)

__ Ribsy (1964)

__ Beezus and Ramona (1955)

__ Ramona the Pest (1968)

__ Ramona the Brave (1975)

__ Ramona and her Father (1977)

__ Ramona and her Mother (1979)

__ Ramona Quimby, Age 8

__ Ramona Forever (1984)

__ Ramona's World (1999)

__ The Mouse & the Motorcycle (1965)

__ Runaway Ralph (1970)

__ Ralph S. Mouse (1982)­­

__ Ellen Tibbits (1951)

__ Otis Spotford (1953)

__ Fifteen (1956)

__ The Luckiest Girl (1958)

__ Jean and Johnny (1959)

__ Emily's Runaway Imagination (1961)

__ Sister of the Bride (1963)

__ Mitch and Amy (1967)

__ Socks (1973)

__ Dear Mr. Henshaw (1983)

__ Muggie Maggie (1990)

__ Strider (1991)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Winner of the 1972 Newbery Medal, this wonderful fantasy by Robert O'Brien has stood the test of time and is a great read. Mrs. Frisby is a widowed mouse with four small children. The family must move to their summer quarters immediately or face almost certain death. But Mrs. Frisby's youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. Recommended for ages 8 - 12.

Double Your Reading Bee Club Dollars!

Shop this Saturday, November 29, and get double your purchase added to your Reading Bee Club total. So, if you spend $35, we'll add $70 to your Reading Bee Club. You'll be that much closer to your $10 gift certificate!

Not in the Club? Join up on your next visit -- when you spend $100, you receive $10 off your next purchase. This weekend, spend $50 and get $10 off your next purchase!

See you soon!

Robert Sabuda's New Pop-Up: Peter Pan!

Own the first edition of another of Sabuda's classic collectible pop-ups! Who could resist the joy of Peter Pan? And now the classic story comes to life in this incredible pop-up book. Master paper engineer Robert Sabuda creates Peter’s world for the reader to leap into: Tinkerbell flies, pirates pop, mermaids sunbathe, and ships spring up with masts that sway in the breeze. It's sure to become one of your favorites!

We are also taking special orders for the special limited edition, which has green cloth boards, comes with a slip case, and is signed and numbered by the author. There are only 250 of these available from the publisher, and retail cost is $250.00. Another special edition of 26, lettered A to Z, were retained by the author.

About Robert Sabuda: Robert grew up in the Pinckney, a small rural town in southeastern Michigan. He saw his first pop-up book as a child during a visit to the dentist's office -- all terror at the impending dental work dissolved when he opened the covers and the images leaped out at him! He made his first pop-ups out of manila folders his mother brought home from work. After graduating he moved to New York City to study art at Pratt Institute. He interned at a publishing house and was inspired by original artwork submitted by Barbara Cooney, Thomas Locker and James Marshall, among others. After working for a time as a picture-book illustrator, he focused his attention on teaching himself paper engineering, to create the beloved classic collectibles we all love. Find out more here.

Once Upon a Time....

"When Rose's mother dies, her only comfort is the exquisite rose garden her mother left behind. The purple blossoms serve as an assurance of her mother's love. But Rose is dealt a second blow when her father dies and his greedy widow, Ombrine, and her daughter, Desiree, move in and take over the manor in true Cinderella fasion. Fate has been cruel to Ombrine and Desiree, too. So despite their harsh ways, Rose has compassion. But these feelings are bitterly tested when, in a rage, Ombrine tears out the garden. Rose nearly gives up all hope -- until a chance meeting with the king. Happiness might be within her reach, but first she must prevail over Ombrine. And then she must determine if she has the courage to love..."

Books in the "Once Upon a Time" series retell favorite childhood fairy tales in a format for teen readers.

Titles include:

Before Midnight (A retelling of "Cinderella")

Beauty Sleep (A retelling of "Sleeping Beauty")

Golden (A retelling of "Rapunzel")

Midnight Pearls (A retelling of "The Little Mermaid")

The Rose Bride (A retelling of "The White Bride and the Black Bride")

Snow (A retelling of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs")

Storyteller's Daughter (A retelling of "The Arabian Nights")

Water Song (A retelling of "The Frog Prince")

Why Brodart?

Why Brodart?

What in the heck is Brodart? And why do we use Brodart book jacket covers on our books?
The shiny covers you see on the books we sell protect the jacket covers, which are designed to protect the book underneath. So often, we find books with worn out book jackets (or “dust jackets”), but they have done such a great job, the book underneath them is in nearly new condition! The jacket really helps protect the book underneath from scratches, bumps and tears. On top of that, a jacket cover can protect your book – and the jacket – even more! The shiny covers help protect your favorite books, so they can be passed along rather than tossed out when they are too worn out. And we all have our favorite stories we’d like to save.

A Brodart book jacket cover is complementary when you purchase a book at Alphabet Soup. If it’s not already covered, just ask and we can cover the jacket before you leave the store. Bring in favorites from your personal collection & we’ll Brodart them for you, for $1.95 per book.

Here’s some background, from the Brodart website:
Book Jacket Covers were created in 1939 by Arthur Brody, founder of Brodart Co. Arthur Brody studied architectural photography at Columbia University, and one day after washing the emulsion off some film, he folded it around some books for added protection. When the covers' popularity grew among fellow students, the plastic book jacket cover was born. Today, Brodart book jacket covers are used to protect original paper jackets of library books, giving them a longer shelf life..” They are also popular with collectors, or anyone who wants to keep their books pristine for years to come.

Magic by the Lake...

With an acknowledged debt to E. Nesbit and George MacDonald, Edward Eager's stories all have the same theme: bringing magic to ordinary lives. Fun-filled and whimsical, the stories are anything but dated. Universal themes of friendship, subtle sibling rivalry, vivid imaginations, and a sense of adventure are as engrossing now as they were when the books were first written 50 years ago.

Read them all!

Half Magic (1954)

Knight's Castle (1956)

Magic by the Lake (1957)

The Time Garden (1958) [A play on the word "thyme"]

Magic or Not? (1959)

The Well Wishers (1960)

Seven Day Magic (1962)

The World's Most Scrumdiddlyumptious Storyteller

Have you read them all?

Roald Dahl wrote 21 books for children.

Check out the official website for more info, games, and fun!

http://www.roalddahl.com/

Roald Dahl reading list:

Gremlins (1943) -- written for Walt Disney & optioned for a film that was never made

James and the Giant Peach (1961) a frequent target of censors, it is #56 on the American Library Association's (ALA) list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) This story of the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric candymaker Willie Wonka is often considered one of the most beloved children's stories of the 20th century.

The Magic Finger (1966) Different editions were illustrated by William Pen3e du Bois, Tony Ross, and Quentin Blake.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970) -- film coming in 2009!

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1973) -- Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka as they travel through space in the Great Glass Elevator.

Danny, Champion of the World (1975) -- Based on Dahl's adult short story "Champion of the World" which appears in "Claud's Dog".

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More -- short stories for older readers

The Enormous Crocodile (1978) -- a short story rather than a novel, illustrated by Quentin Blake, published as a picture book.

The Twits (1980) -- Read it to find out the tricks of Mr. and Mrs. Twit, including The Frog, The Spaghetti Worms, The Balloons, and the Sticky Tree!

George's Marvelous Medicine (1981) -- Get the recipe!

The BFG (1982) -- stands for "Big Friendly Giant"

Dirty Beasts (1983) -- poetry

The Witches (1983) -- adapted into a movie and stage play, it appears as #27 on the ALA's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.

Boy -- autobiography

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (1985) -- write your own review for this book.

Going Solo -- sequel to autobiography "Boy"

Matilda (1988) - made into a movie in 1996!

Rhyme Stew (1989) -- poetry

Esio Trot (1989) -- but what does it say backwards?

The Minpins (1991) -- Published in 1991, several months after Dahl's passing.

The Vicar of Nibbleswicke (1991) -- The principal character is a dyslexic vicar, and the book was written to benefit the Dyslexia Institute in London (now Dyslexia Action)

Revolting Rhymes (1992) -- poetry

Caldecott Award Winners

The Randolph Caldecott Medal -- for best children's illustrators!

The medal has been awarded to children’s book illustrators since 1938 by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Several books each year are also named as honor books. The award started because after years of awarding the Newbery Medal for the most distinguished children’s literature published the prior year, ALA decided that illustrators also deserved recognition. The medal is given to the artist who created the most distinguished picture book of the year. It was named in honor of the 19-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott.

Caldecott – along with Kate Greenaway and Walter Crane -- were three influential 19th-century British children's illustrators. Caldecott’s illustrations were unique because they wonderfully complemented the stories they accompanied.

The illustration on the Caldecott Medal, designed by 1937 René Paul Chambellan in 1937, depicts one of Caldecott's illustrations for "The Diverting Story of John Gilpin." It is a perfect example of the humor, vitality, and sense of movement found in Caldecott's work. The illustration shows John Gilpin astride a runaway horse, accompanied by squawking geese, braying dogs, and startled onlookers.

One of our recent favorites is David Wiesner's Flotsam, which won the award in 2007. No words, but the exceptional illustrations tell quite a story!

Here's a list of the all of the Caldecott medal winners, from 1938:

2008: Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic)
2007: Flotsam by David Wiesner (Clarion)
2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window Illustrated by Chris Raschka, written by Norton Juster (Michael di Capua/Hyperion)
2005: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollinsPublishers)
2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein (Roaring Brook Press/Millbrook Press)
2003: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann (Roaring Brook Press/Millbrook Press)
2002: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin)
2001: So You Want to Be President? Illustrated by David Small; text by Judith St. George (Philomel Books)
2000: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Simms Taback (Viking)
1999: Snowflake Bentley, Illustrated by Mary Azarian; text by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (Houghton)
1998: Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky (Dutton)
1997: Golem by David Wisniewski (Clarion)
1996: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam)
1995: Smoky Night, illustrated by David Diaz; text: Eve Bunting (Harcourt)

1994: Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say; text: edited by Walter Lorraine (Houghton)
1993: Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully (Putnam)
1992: Tuesday by David Wiesner (Clarion Books)
1991: Black and White by David Macaulay (Houghton)
1990: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young (Philomel)
1989: Song and Dance Man, illustrated by Stephen Gammell; text: Karen Ackerman (Knopf)
1988: Owl Moon, illustrated by John Schoenherr; text: Jane Yolen (Philomel)
1987: Hey, Al, illustrated by Richard Egielski; text: Arthur Yorinks (Farrar)
1986: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
1985: Saint George and the Dragon, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman; text: retold by Margaret Hodges (Little, Brown)
1984: The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot by Alice & Martin Provensen (Viking)
1983: Shadow, translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown; original text in French: Blaise Cendrars (Scribner)
1982: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
1981: Fables by Arnold Lobel (Harper)
1980: Ox-Cart Man, illustrated by Barbara Cooney; text: Donald Hall (Viking)
1979: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble (Bradbury)
1978: Noah's Ark by Peter Spier (Doubleday)
1977: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon; text: Margaret Musgrove (Dial)
1976: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon; text: retold by Verna Aardema (Dial)
1975: Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott (Viking)
1974: Duffy and the Devil, illustrated by Margot Zemach; retold by Harve Zemach (Farrar)
1973: The Funny Little Woman, illustrated by Blair Lent; text: retold by Arlene Mosel (Dutton)
1972: One Fine Day, retold and illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Macmillan)
1971: A Story A Story, retold and illustrated by Gail E. Haley (Atheneum)
1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (Windmill Books)
1969: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz; text: retold by Arthur Ransome (Farrar)
1968: Drummer Hoff, illustrated by Ed Emberley; text: adapted by Barbara Emberley (Prentice-Hall)
1967: Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness (Holt)
1966: Always Room for One More, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian; text: Sorche Nic Leodhas, pseud. [Leclair Alger] (Holt)
1965: May I Bring a Friend? illustrated by Beni Montresor; text: Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (Atheneum)
1964: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
1963: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
1962: Once a Mouse, retold and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
1961: Baboushka and the Three Kings, illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov; text: Ruth Robbins (Parnassus)
1960: Nine Days to Christmas, illustrated by Marie Hall Ets; text: Marie Hall Ets and Aurora Labastida (Viking)
1959: Chanticleer and the Fox, illustrated by Barbara Cooney; text: adapted from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales by Barbara Cooney (Crowell)
1958: Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
1957: A Tree Is Nice, illustrated by Marc Simont; text: Janice Udry (Harper)
1956: Frog Went A-Courtin', illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky; text: retold by John Langstaff) (Harcourt)
1955: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper, illustrated by Marcia Brown; text: translated from Charles Perrault by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
1954: Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans (Viking)
1953: The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward (Houghton)
1952: Finders Keepers, illustrated by Nicolas, pseud. (Nicholas Mordvinoff); text: Will, pseud. [William Lipkind] (Harcourt)
1951: The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous (Scribner)
1950: Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi (Scribner)
1949: The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader (Macmillan)
1948: White Snow, Bright Snow, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin; text: Alvin Tresselt (Lothrop)
1947: The Little Island, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard; text: Golden MacDonald, pseud. [Margaret Wise Brown] (Doubleday)
1946: The Rooster Crows by Maud & Miska Petersham (Macmillan)
1945: Prayer for a Child, illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones; text: Rachel Field (Macmillan)
1944: Many Moons, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin; text: James Thurber (Harcourt)
1943: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton)
1942: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
1941: They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson (Viking)
1940: Abraham Lincoln by Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (Doubleday)
1939: Mei Li by Thomas Handforth (Doubleday)
1938: Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop; text: selected by Helen Dean Fish (Lippincott)

Many other books win an honor book award, which is a silver label. The medal winners receive a gold seal.

Jessie Wilcox Smith

Jessie Willcox Smith was born in Philadelphia in 1863. She was a kindergarten teacher before accidentally discovering her artistic talent. She was probably around 20 before she started drawing. She soon enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and was a student of Thomas Eakins, and others. Her earliest work appeared in the monthly magazine for children, St. Nicholas. She also worked in the production department of The Ladies' Home Journal in 1889 and was still working there five years later when Howard Pyle began teaching illustration at Drexel Institute of Arts and Sciences, and she joined his first class. At age 31, she was only 10 years younger than her teacher and one of his oldest students. She formed a lifelong friendship with two other students, Elizabeth Shippen Green and Violet Oakley. The three shared a home/studio for almost 15 years, including a lease on a property called The Red Rose Inn, just outside Philadelphia. Smith was hugely successful in the emerging illustration market – it was the advent of mass-produced periodicals, many with a focus on home and children: The Ladies' Home Journal, Century, Collier's Weekly, Leslie's, Harper's, McClure's, Scribners, and, most famously, Good Housekeeping, which was one of America’s most popular magazines. Her illustrations graced the covers month after month from 1917 through 1933.

She also illustrated many famous books: A Child's Garden of Verses (1905); A Child's Book of Stories (1911); The Water-Babies (1916); At the Back of the North Wind (1919); and Boys and Girls of Bookland (1923), and an edition of Heidi, among others.
In 1933, her eyesight fading, she decided to retire from illustrating and try traveling. Jessie Willcox Smith died in her sleep in 1935.

Special thanks to

http://www.bpib.com/illustra.htm#illustopage, which has a lot of wonderful information on many famous and well-loved illustrators.

Laughing Elephant publishes (and we carry!) her illustrations on greeting cards. We also sell eight of her illustrations in 8 x 10 prints, that are also available framed.

Gone Fishin'!

We will be closed for Labor Day weekend, from August 29th through September 1st.

See you next month!

Hairy Maclary and Slinki Malinki!

We have some new friends at Alphabet Soup! The famous-in-New-Zealand dog and cat pals have arrived in Wallingford. Meet the whole gang: Hercules Morse, Bottomley Potts, Muffin McLay, Bitzer Maloney, Schnitzel von Krumm, Stickybeak Sid, and Zachary Quack. Join in the fun as this not-so-motley crew have adventures at the vet, in a pet show, and around the fields and yards closer to home.

With illustrations described as “amiably animated and suitably silly” and a rhyming story using “wonderfully waggish words” they’ll be friends you’re glad to have!

Titles in the series:

Collect them all!

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
Hairy Maclary’s Bone
Hairy Maclary Scattercat
Hairy Maclary’s Rumpus at the Vet
Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack
Slinky Malinki
Slinky Malinki Catflaps
Slinky Malinki, Open the Door

Clyde, Cyrus, Kermit & a Troll

Bill Peet created whimsical fantasies featuring a bevy of lifelike and lovable creatures, consistently combining excellent storytelling with enduring illustrations, becoming one of the most popular picture book creators of our time. Born in Grandview, Indiana, Bill Peet nurtured his childhood drawing talent and was awarded a scholarship to the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, where he studied painting and design. After a brief apprenticeship period, he went to work for Walt Disney as a sketch artist, eventually becoming a screenwriter and helping to produce such beloved films as “Fantasia,” “101 Dalmatians” and “Peter Pan.” In 1959 Bill published his first book, “Hubert’s Hair-Raising Adventure,” going on to write and illustrate more than 30 successful books for children.

We have many of these titles in stock, and can special order any title:

Ant and the Elephant, The
Big Bad Bruce
Buford the Little Bighorn
Caboose who Got Loose, The
Capyboppy
Chester the Worldly Pig
Cock-a-doodle Dudley
Cowardly Clyde
Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent
Eli
Ella
Encore for Eleanor
Farewell to Shady Glen
Fly, Homer, Fly
Gnats of Knotty Pine, The
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head
Hubert’s Hair-Raising Adventure
Huge Harold
Jennifer and Josephine
Jethro and Joel Were a Troll
Kermit the Hermit
Kweeks of Kookatumdee, The
Luckiest One of All, The
Merle the High Flying Squirrel
No Such Things
Pamela Camel
Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg, The
Randy’s Dandy Lions
Smokey
Spooky Trail of Prewitt Peacock, The
Whingdingdilly
Wump World
Zella, Zack and Zodiac

We also have second-hand copies of Bill Peet’s autobiography.

Meet Our Staff: Rhea!

Rhea’s favorite children story is one her mother read to her very often. "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch is one that will always make her smile and remember exactly how her mom would read it to her at night before bed. Now working at a wonderful children’s book store she is reminded of the many children’s books she used to enjoy. She also loves when kids come in and are excited to read and learn from books. Working at Alphabet Soup has made her become excited about reading for fun again. Rhea is currently a sophomore at Washington State University majoring in Early Education.

Meet our Staff -- Abbey!

Abbey’s favorite children’s book is Old Hat, New Hat, by the Berensteins. To this day, she loves to recite the line “Too beady, too bumpy, too leafy, too lumpy, too twisty, too twirly, too wrinkly, too curly” whenever it is appropriate (and equally as often when it is not appropriate). The rhyming is great, but more importantly, the message is something that resonates for years. The story recognizes that when something is “just right,” it can be as fulfilling and wonderful as any new and shiny thing. Truer words were never spoken, whether about relationships or material things. She has also developed a love of children’s books from the Green Tiger Press, as the colors and pictures always make for such amazing renditions of classic stories. When not at Alphabet Soup, Abbey enjoys spending time with her two cats, Elliot and Evan. She sings them a “good morning” song every day.

Meet our Staff: Anna!

Anna in another member of the Alphabet Soup family. She grew up in San Diego but fell in love with Seattle – both the city and the people – five years ago and now makes her home in North Seattle. She first learned about “The Soup” at Fremont Sunday Market, where Alphabet Soup has a booth every Sunday. Remembering her love for children’s illustrated books, she started spending more time at the shop in Wallingford.

Anna’s favorite book growing up was "Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones," by Ruth Heller. Both the information and the illustrations fascinated her. This should have been a big clue to her parents that she would end up studying biology and engineering in college but eventually run her own jewelry design and art business.

"Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones" combines the everyday knowledge most children have of eggs with more advanced scientific knowledge of animals other than birds. The illustrations beautifully compliment the slightly more technical side of the text through big, bright and memorable depictions of animals and their eggs. In some cases, the pictures are far more expressive than the text, showing different life stages of common animals.

Anna recommends this book for anyone, big or small, that has a deep appreciation for color and an appetite for knowledge. She also recommends it for younger children that may need some encouragement with reading and science. The bright illustrations make learning about science and animals much more visually entertaining and stimulating, and the short concise sentences help increase attention to specific words.

Meet Our Staff: Michael

Michael’s favorite children’s book is In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. His favorite young adult books are The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. He’s a graduate of the University of Washington and enjoys listening to public radio, creating music and riding his motorcycle. He was originally born with six toes on his left foot.

Join Us at Fremont Sunday Market

Join us June 15th & 29th at Fremont Sunday Market (We will be taking June 22nd off!) -- there's something for everyone!

Alphabet Soup has a booth every Sunday featuring discounted books, framed pictures, stickers, magnets, and all sorts of other wonderful, fun products. Fremont Market runs all year round, rain or shine, on 34th Ave between Evanston and Phinney Avenues in the Fremont district of Seattle.

In addition to Alphabet Soup, Fremont Market is also home to some of the best hand crafts and vintage items in Seattle. You can find knitting needles and repurposed/recycled yarn, hand made jewelry, candles, soaps and clothing, used tools and furniture, and a plethora of other fun family items. All vendors are local business owners and work very hard to keep their products fresh and exciting. Meet some of our friends here, here, and here.

During the summer months at Fremont Market you can also find fresh produce and flowers at very reasonable prices. There are always fun things to see, including the canal, the Fremont Troll, and lots of friendly dogs.

Stop by our booth on June 15th and mention this blog entry to receive a special gift!

A Child's Garden of Verses

Many famous illustrators have interpreted Robert Louis Stevenson’s beloved collection of poetry. When I was a child, a favorite aunt gave me Gyo Fujikawa’s lovely rendition; it remains my favorite. Michael Foreman, Tasha Tudor, Brian Wildsmith, and many others have also illustrated collections.

Robert Louis Stevenson was a man who "seemed to pick the right word up on the point of his pen, like a man playing

spillikins", at least according to contemporary G. K. Chesterton. He was born in 1850 into a long line of lighthouse engineers. Stevenson chose writing, devoting himself to the profession. He was quite prolific.

Stevenson grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. Although he suffered from tuberculosis, during the summer his parents encouraged to play outside, where he proved to be a wild and carefree child, and it seemed to improve his health. It must also have served as an inspiration to write his famous collection for children.

Welcome to the Alphabet Soup Blog!

Welcome to our blog! If you've been to our store, you know how much we love books. We started this blog as a way to share our love for books, and to keep in touch with our friends. Watch this blog for happenings behind the scenes, special features, new arrivals, and old favorites.

To celebrate spring -- we think it's finally here! -- join us for a special in-store sale on Saturday, May 10th -- 20 % off all used books! Stock up on old favorites or try something new. Be sure to stop by!

Visit our Seattle store at 1406 N 45th Street in beautiful Wallingford (Tuesday - Saturday 11-8); call us at 206-547-4555. E-mail us at alphabetsoupbooks@gmail.com with questions or special orders. Browse our ebay store online: http://stores.ebay.com/alphabetsoupbooks

And starting Sunday May 11, you can once again visit us at Fremont Sunday Market http://www.fremontmarket.com/fremont/ between 10 and 5.

Shop our market specials, pick up a discount coupon for the store, and be sure to check out our friends' stylish new offerings -- original jewelry and fiber art from Anna Perrone Designs www.annaperronedesigns.com; scrumptious smelling candles by Jim www.candlejim.com; and hot new original artwork printed on short & long sleeve organic tees from Karl at Partybots www.partybots.org; and many, many others! Hope to see you soon!